Playing the Game
by nickelplated
Summary: *Updated Title* Violet and Klaus settle a long standing dispute with something they simply call 'the game'. THE OBJECT OF THE GAME: Contestants race to retrieve a flag on the far end of the island. The first person back to the starting point in possession of the flag wins. THE RULES OF THE GAME: There are none. Violet/Klaus


**Object of the game: Contestants race to retrieve a flag on the far end of the island. The ****first person back to the starting point in possession of the flag wins.**

**Rules of the game: There are none.**

* * *

Violet

Violet and Klaus were not like many siblings. The biggest and most noticeable difference were that they were stranded on an isolated island with only a toddler, and an infant, and themselves. They also were able to work together daily, side by side, in a fluent partnership, that was unusual for many people their ages, Klaus being 16 and Violet, 17. They kept the children, cooked meals together, did laundry, cleaned the house of its constant sandiness, butchered sheep, cut firewood, and on and on. They did many chores together that most adults living in regular society would never do, or would definitely complain about doing, and they did them efficiently. They encouraged one another in their private endeavors, too. Klaus was always ready to help Violet test her inventions, and they needed many inventions to help simplify their lives on the island, and Violet was always ready to discuss theories with Klaus when he was learning something new.

There was only one thing, really, that the siblings fought about, one thing that they each griped about like petulant children, one thing that they hated doing above all other things.

Changing diapers.

They hated changing dirty diapers so much that in their early days on the island, they had even resorted to petty name calling, physical altercations, and long episodes of the silent treatment that often threatened to ruin their close relationship. So, they had come up with a compromise and invented the game. The Baudelaires played the game every two weeks. The winner of the game was free from all diaper duty until a new winner was declared in the next game. There were no rules, which usually meant that the kids played for keeps, that they played hard for their coveted prize. It meant they suffered from injuries, usually only minor bruises and scrapes, but Violet was still slightly ashamed to say she had once bitten Klaus on the arm in order to steal the flag from him and claim victory, but in her defense, she had lost the game twice in a row and was desperate to be off diaper duty.

Violet was on diaper duty right now, in fact, and had been for six weeks straight. There was no way she was losing tonight, but she was at an unfair disadvantage these days. Klaus had grown so much. He was tall and lithe, strong and fast, and if she couldn't be faster, she would have to be smarter, because there was no way she could endure dirty diapers for another two weeks. No way! The only problem was that Klaus was smart, too.

"Are we still on for tonight?" asked Klaus, tugging her hair playfully as they made a lunch of fish and cooked greens.

"Yes, of course," she answered shortly, rolling her eyes, always defensive when she was on the losing end of the game, especially after three rounds.

Klaus only chuckled at her, self confidence in his next win oozing all over the place. "You don't have to be a sore loser. The game was your idea in the first place."

That was true, but that was also months ago, when she had still been the faster of the two. "I'm not a sore loser," she defended, bumping his hip with hers. "Anyway, you'll be the one losing tonight!"

"Hmm," he closed his eyes, putting a finger to his chin and appeared to be picturing it in his mind. "I just can't imagine it. Sorry." Although he didn't look sorry at all. "You're just so small." He patted the top of her head and encircled her arms with his fingers to prove how much bigger he was than her.

"You've had a growth spurt," she conceded, looking him up and down, and even though she felt chagrined at the difference in their sizes as far as the race went, she couldn't help but be proud of the young man that Klaus was growing into. He was quite handsome, and always kind and intelligent. "But I'm still the oldest, and no matter how tall you are, you'll always be my little brother," she reminded him, reaching up to pat him on the top of his head. His smile faltered for just a moment, and he looked away, but when he turned to her again he seemed to be back to normal. "Klaus?" she began to question him, but he cut her off. She felt like she had disappointed him somehow with her teasing, but how? Trash talk was part of the game.

"Eat up, little girl," he teased, handing her a plate of food. "You'll need all your strength if you're planning on beating me tonight." She only scoffed at him and watched him cross the room to sit at a low table with a plate each for himself and for Sunny.

* * *

Klaus

Klaus loved game day. The game was something he looked forward to, because not only did it break up the monotony of their routine, but it was something that belonged only to him and Violet. It was their own creation. The game gave them an outlet for their inhibitions, every man for themselves, run and play as hard as you can, fight if needed, and it helped them, in his opinion, stay sane for the rest of the days.

He knew that Violet was seriously gunning for him now, since she had not won in the last few games. He really wasn't too worried. He had grown a lot, hitting a large growth spurt that made Violet seem like a tiny, fragile thing to him now. She was petite and sweet. She was so pretty, no…that's not what he meant to think. Yes, it was, and he loved, loved, loved when she played dirty in the game, when she put aside all of her mothering and sisterly care, and just treated him like any other boy. He really liked it when she ran so fast that her chest would heave and her cheeks would flush bright red, or when she fought against him hard, bruising his skin with her roughness.

Klaus had a good feeling that tonight would be one of those times. He could tell Violet was already in a quarrelsome mood and was barely able to restrain her words for him now, but he was ready for a good fight. Things had been too much the same, lately, and he ached for a change. He knew everything there was to know about his sister, Violet. He knew all of her ways, as he had known them his whole life, but he also wanted more from her. He craved a connection that went beyond their current relationship, to something more intimate, more physical. Klaus had often wondered if their life had been more normal, if he would still feel this way? Probably not, but it is what it is, no changing the past, and not much change could be foreseen in the near future.

He just wasn't sure how to bring it up without scaring her or making himself out to be a creep, but as more and more time went by, he found he could scarcely keep himself away from her, making up reasons just to touch her or tease her, hoping she wouldn't catch him staring at her, hoping that she would, hoping she would just catch on, already. It just seemed, especially when she referred to him as her little brother, that he would never be enough for Violet, because even though she knew him in and out, the same as he knew her, she just couldn't seem to _see_ him.

Today, the urge to close the distance between them was stronger than ever. He hoped, with all of his heart, that tonight, the game, would be the catalyst for the change he had longed for, because what was he really afraid of? Breaking society's rules? Well, there were no rules in the game. It might be naive to think that if he tried something during the game that it would have no consequences, but what if it worked?

* * *

Violet

By late afternoon the sunny day had morphed into an eerie, yellow stillness, the sort of weather that the Baudelaires knew by now, promised a storm. By evening, the stillness had morphed even further into a gusty wind that blew dark clusters of clouds over the moon, creating weird shadows that rolled across the sand, disappearing into the blackness of the ocean.

The little ones were tucked away in their beds. Violet hoped there wouldn't be any thunder to wake the children while they were gone. She always met Klaus on the top step of the trail leading down away from their small house to the beach. This was the starting and finish line for the game. The wind blew her hair into crazy patterns around her head. Violet reached for her ribbon, but a strong gust nearly blew it out of her hand. Then Violet knew Klaus was there behind her, could sense his calm strength at her back, and he was helping her gather all of her hair into one of his fists, so she could tie her ribbon. Klaus turned her to face him, holding her arms in his hands, and she felt a silly, overwhelming trust in her chest.

"You still up for this?" he asked, worry flashing across his eyes.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she answered. He motioned vaguely to the sky and what she took to mean the weather. "Are you scared?" she asked, teasing. "We're definitely doing this, so you better man up!"

Klaus only shrugged his shoulders, then placed his forehead to hers in an unusually gentle gesture, saying, "Be careful, okay?" She nodded. "You ready?" She nodded again. "Then, no hard feelings?"

'No hard feelings' had become their way of starting and ending the race. It reminded them that no matter what happened in this game without rules, it was only to get out of diaper duty, and it wasn't personal... although, Klaus had nursed his bite injury for well over three days, making Violet feel very guilty indeed afterward, even though she herself had a large bruise on her hip from where Klaus had bumped into her hard enough to make her fall over. It was a very physical game these two played.

Violet felt her anxiety and her adrenaline spike at his words. Having been isolated on this island for months, and chores becoming routine, the game had also become something they needed, a fun distraction, something, even if for just an hour, that let them shed their skins of responsibility and early induced parenthood, and…just be wild. Violet just knew it was going to be a wild night, too. There was a weird electricity in the air, from the coming storm, or possibly flowing from Klaus to her in an unfamiliar current, one she couldn't quite identify, or maybe she just denied it, though she also denied the denial, too, making her feel a bit off balance. The wind continued to gust and the moon barely peeked through the gathering clouds, giving off little light.

Klaus was grinning now, his face still close to hers, obviously feeling the same excitement she did. She was nodding. "Okay, no hard feelings."

He pulled her closer into a really tight embrace, lowered his lips to her ear, brushing her cheek with them as he went, saying, "No matter what?"

Violet leaned back to look at him, trying to assess his strange behavior, having a vague, fleeting sense that Klaus loved her. Then...of course he loved her. She was his sister, but he kept her close and stared at her for a moment, stared at her lips, and Violet had a crazy thought that he might kiss her. Then, just when she thought the moment had stretched way too long, that he should just kiss her already…no, she meant…she meant that they should start the game, he said, "Ready?"

She shook her head absently, trying to dispel her burgeoning ideas about Klaus, replied with a bemused grin and a furrowed brow, "Set."

"Go!" They said together, their voices muffled in the loud wind. They took off down the sandy slope towards the shore, grabbing onto each other's arms in an effort to hold the other one back. Violet knew she couldn't beat Klaus in a foot race. She had to slow him down in order to put her plan to win into effect. Just as they hit the deeper sand at the edge of the dunes, Violet made a calculated leap, grabbing Klaus around his knees, pushing them both to the ground, knocking the breath from Klaus in a loud "Ooof." He immediately scrambled to get up, but she had him down again with a hard push to his back, then grabbed him by the feet, pulling his shoes off and throwing them in different directions. She was up and running as fast as she could, continuing down to the shore to the path that led around the island the quickest, barely able to dodge his hand that reached out to grab at her ankles as she ran past.

* * *

Klaus

Klaus couldn't believe he was down already. He had been right, and Violet was determined to win this time. He would have loved to have taken her down with him, but had missed her foot, just barely. He could hear her laughing as she ran away down the trail of flat, wet sand by the shore. "Shit!," he cursed, but there was no one to hear him. He scrambled for his shoes, sliding them on, but now he was at least a full minute behind her. God, he hated having sand in his socks!

He thundered after her, planning his route there and back. If worse came to worst, he would meet Violet on her way back, because she wasn't strong enough to beat him on the forest trail. He was starting to worry now that not only would he not get a chance to play a good game with Violet, but that he might wind up with the dreaded diaper duty.

* * *

Violet

She laughed delightedly. So far so good. She wanted him to think she was taking the usual route, but she doubled back, crouching low behind the sea oats growing along the sand dunes to hide as Klaus ran fast down the trail only minutes later. Violet knew Klaus's usual route. He would take the easy way to get to the flag, but then return through the woods, which was closer as the crow flies, but a harder trek with more hills, rocks and roots to contend with, too hard for Violet to beat him if she tried to go that way. She did go that way though, but backwards. She was going to set some traps for Klaus.

The rain started just as she entered the dark woods. She could hear the drops pelting the leaves high above her, but not reaching her yet. She couldn't run all out in this gloom, but kept up a quick pace until she reached a long stretch of even ground. Just beyond this Violet pulled out the supplies she had stashed in her pockets, quickly setting up a trip wire between two dead trees which were a familiar landmark to her, and then another one a hundred more yards into Klaus's usual path. She actually wasn't far from the flag now, but she would let Klaus get it and bring it straight to her. She would be waiting for him.

Violet climbed up a short rock outcropping that would give her a good view of where the flag hung off an old decaying tree that had fallen long ago and stretched across the beach to land partly in the shallows of the ocean. The rain was pouring down now, and her handholds were a bit slippery, but she remembered Klaus's warnings to be careful. She could barely make out the dark shadow of the tree against the undulating of the waves, but was sure that Klaus, who thought he was trying to catch up with her, would be coming any second now.

Sure enough, she could make out his figure easily as he approached the flag. He seemed immediately wary, because why should the flag still be there, if she was ahead of him? She hadn't thought of that. He would be suspicious. He turned a complete circle, trying to catch a glimpse of her hiding in the trees, maybe? "Violet?" he called. "Are you out there?"

* * *

Klaus

Klaus was more than surprised that he had beaten Violet to the flag, as she'd had a head start on him. He worried that something had happened to her. He wasn't sure if he would have seen her in all of this rain and wind if she wasn't directly on the trail. She could be calling out to him and he wouldn't even be able to hear her. Or, maybe, she had tricked him, but that didn't explain why the flag was still here. He turned full circle, squinting his eyes in every direction, but it was too dark, and even though the rain was letting up some, he couldn't see very far. Maybe, he could grab the flag and run fast for home. If she didn't show up between now and then he would go into search party mode.

He called her name again, listening hard. "Violet?" Still no answer. Klaus snatched the flag from the branch. He shoved it deep down into his underwear. Just in case he ran into her, it wouldn't appear to her that he even had the flag, although, why wouldn't he? Why didn't she? He might be able to trick her and make it home with the flag unnoticed. No, she was probably laying in wait for him back on the sand dunes, so he would make a beeline through the woods.

* * *

Violet

Of course she kept silent when he'd called her name. God, if he went home the other way she was doomed. She should have set a quick trap down the beach way, also. "Violet?" he called again, looking around him, but the rain made visibility almost impossible from the ground. She watched him as he plucked the flag from the dead, protruding branch, and shove it clear down his pants. She laughed out loud, then hoped that he couldn't hear her over the weather. Did he think he was being sneaky? Did he actually think that would keep the flag safe from her, that she wouldn't find it there? That she wouldn't reach down there? Because she had been on diaper duty for six weeks straight, and no amount of brotherly private parts were going to come between her and that flag.

Okay, he was on his way, thank God, climbing the steep dunes to get to the forest trail. He would be here in less than a minute. Climbing, but mostly sliding, haphazardly down the rock formation she positioned herself behind a large tree, not yards away from her trip wire. She stood motionless, listening, both sets of fingers crossed.

She heard his footsteps crashing through the low underbrush. Klaus was moving fast, and she spared a motherly moment of worry that he might fall pretty hard at this speed, but then he was there, hitting the wire with his foot and sprawling face first on the ground. He turned over, trying to get back the breath that the hard fall had knocked from his lungs, when she pounced on him, straddling his waist and pinning his arms down.

"Give me the flag, little brother," she demanded. Rivulets of rain ran down her nose and chin and dripped onto Klaus's face.

"You…," he breathed hard. "You…little sneak. Playing…dirty!"

"Give it to me right now!" she said, trying to sound forceful, and pushing down hard on his arms.

"I don't have it," he huffed. That liar! He made her blood boil with his lie. She felt like possibly biting him again.

"I will bite you, Klaus," she threatened. "Now, you better rethink that lie."

He was shaking his head. "No, I swear. Look, I don't have it." Still lying! Violet knew she would have to let up on his arms to reach into his pants to retrieve the flag, and certainly he would never let her get away with it. She had to do something. She just had to win this time.

They were at an impasse. Violet made a quick decision that she hoped she wouldn't regret. She sat up, releasing his arms, and as soon as she did, he had her rolled over onto her back, looming over her, trying to pin her arms. She grappled with him, pulling him close and tight around the torso, so that he couldn't pin her arms or get away very easily, and for good measure, she wrapped her legs around his. They struggled this way for a few exhausting seconds, until Violet put her teeth to a bared part of his shoulder in a warning. He stilled immediately, his cheek next to hers, his forehead on the wet ground, waiting apparently, for the pain of the bite. The rain stopped and the sound of their harsh breaths sounded loud in the sudden quiet.

The weight of his body on hers, the realness of him, rain soaked and flushed, had an unexpected effect on her. She felt that strange electricity, a connection and for an instant, just for a moment, she wanted to keep them there, bodies pressed together, because it felt good to be under him, and in that same instant a hundred sweet impossibilities ran through her imagination. Instead of biting him, she turned her mouth to his neck, drawing a line with her nose against his wet skin, letting her lips drag behind. He turned his face into the side of hers, his breath felt so warm on her cold cheek. "Violet," was all he said, but the longing in his quiet tone was all too recognizable, and her immediate feeling of reciprocation scared her a bit, if she were honest. Her brain had finally connected the dots. Before she could think too hard on her actions, she placed an open-mouthed kiss on his chin, her tongue licking his skin briefly, making him inhale a shuddering breath through his own mouth. She dared to let go of her tight grip around his back, keeping a surreptitious hold on his legs, to reach her hands under his soaked shirt and back up his sides. His skin was so much warmer than hers, from running, she supposed, and felt so good, slick, that she continued her exploration, pushing her hands down his spine, to brush her fingertips into the waistband of his pants as far as they could go, which wasn't far enough.

Violet squeezed his hips, nudging at him to roll over, and he was going wherever she wanted him, because he wanted her. She understood that now, and suspected she felt the same about him…and she was going to use it against him. She hardened her heart and hoped for forgiveness, because, although she would like to see where this took them, was feeling it in places she ought not to when it comes to brothers, her priority was winning this game. Violet was back on top, he had let her so easily, the silly boy, and she was still touching him, his chest, his stomach, running her fingers lower and lower, getting him use to the feel of her hands on him, lulling him into security. But then, his hands were also on her, pushing up her thighs and hips and under the hem of her shirt. Quickly, she thought, before she became distracted. Yes, quickly, she unbuttoned his pants, unzipped him. God, she tried not to feel too guilty as she reached her hand into his pants. He huffed out a surprised breath, but did nothing to stop her. She couldn't help but feel him, his erection, hard for her, goodness how hard it was, how velvety the skin of it was. She didn't need to do it, but she wrapped her hand around him anyway, curiosity overwhelming her, and stroked him once just to keep that look on his face, the look which was a mixture of pleasure and pain, mesmerizing and addictive, and wondered what emotion she betrayed, because Klaus was looking hard back at her, eyes roaming over her face. She stroked him twice, because she wanted to, in case he never let her touch him again like this. Leaning over him to brush her lips just against his, and at the same moment she reaching a little further, she tugged the flag out of his pants, whispering, "No hard feelings, you promised."

* * *

Klaus

It was everything he had hoped for, and almost too much more. Almost. The feeling of her body under his, pressed between him and the ground, had him immediately aroused, but the feel of her warm mouth on his skin had him undone. She was touching him, anywhere and everywhere she could reach, and her hands just slid up and down his wet skin without hesitation, like she had wanted to do it all along, like she wanted more.

He had turned them when she had asked, but only so he could feel her skin, too. He pushed his hands under her shirt, squeezing her waist, sliding them up her sides, to touch…but, God she had reached into his pants. It wasn't that he didn't want her to touch him there, it was that he had wanted it so much. It was happening too fast, not at all how he had pictured, but he didn't think he would be able to stop her. He warred with himself for that short second. He wanted her to stop, he wanted to kiss her, he didn't want her to stop. God, he loved her so much. And she was looking at him, seeing him finally. She was brushing her lips over his, just ever so slightly, not nearly enough, but then she was pulling that damn flag out of his pants. He had forgotten all about it, and he was feeling like he should've seen that coming. The game was still on.

* * *

Violet

Violet was up and running, but he caught her ankle this time, causing her to fall. She scrambled away, trying to get her balance as she stood, ready to run again. He fell behind, though he was on his feet quickly, and even having to deal with his pants he was not far behind her. This part of the forest floor was even, allowing her to push herself hard, keeping a sharp eye out for her landmark, making sure to hop over her trip wire. Klaus was probably only ten paces behind her when he tripped on the second wire, cursing loudly right before he hit the ground with a loud thunk.

"Seriously?" he yelled at her as she continued to run. She couldn't help but feel giddy over her obvious triumph, but you know what they say, "Pride goeth before a fall." Just as she was nearing the edge of the trees, even able to see the beginnings of the steep, sandy trail that led up to the finish line, the edge of the narrow trail she was running on gave way, causing her to fall, to slide in the mud to the bottom of a short ravine. She let out a scream that was cut short by the ground knocking all of the air out of her lungs. She struggled to breathe, and as soon as she could inhale, let out a sharp cry at the pain shooting up her ankle. Tree roots dangled down the edge of the dirt wall, and the world seemed dark and small and itchy. Of course it began to rain again, steady and drenching, making everything even more slippery and muddy.

She immediately heard Klaus calling for her. "Violet?"

"I'm down here, Klaus. The trail gave away," she called up to him, relieved to see his face peering down at her from the edge of the trail. She had only fallen probably six or seven feet. "Help me, please. It's really dark down here," she said, her voice rising with panic.

"If I reach down, can you grab my hands?" he said loudly to be heard over the torrential downpour.

"I'll try," though she cried out again when she tried to put her weight on both feet. Balancing as best she could on one foot, leaning heavily into the muddy bank of the ravine, she reached up as high as she could and found that Klaus could reach her wrists. She was a slippery mess, but he gripped her tight enough to make bruises. Violet didn't care, she just wanted out of this dark hole in the ground. She did her best to help by climbing, but her one foot was useless. It didn't matter. He hefted her out and in less than a minute she collapsed onto him in a muddy puddle of bodies.

Klaus let out a relieved, exhausted laugh, brushing her tangled hair out of her face, because her ribbon had been lost long ago. "Are you okay?" he asked her, brushing her cheeks with his fingers. When she nodded, he said, "You scared me. You really scared me. I thought I had lost you."

"I'm okay," Violet said, and she held onto his wrists as he cradled her face, and they were wet and muddy, tired from running, but he was kissing her anyway. Kissing her like it wasn't their first time, kissing her like he had been doing it for years, like he already knew how much she loved him. He smelled like the wind and the earth. He pressed his open mouth to hers, meeting her tongue, catching her lips then releasing them. Klaus kissed her until she felt warm all over, even with the cold rain sheeting over them.

* * *

Klaus

Klaus had been gaining on Violet. He could just see her up ahead on the trail and he was realizing that she might even make it back to the house before he could catch her, but… but then she disappeared from the trail. Her scream, and then her silence, scared him to death.

The rain had washed all the dirt away from the roots of a large tree that bordered the forest trail, leaving only a narrow portion intact. Klaus scrambled on his belly to look over, but all he could see was darkness.

"Violet," he called down into the black. How would he find her? How far down was she? What if she was hurt…or worse?

Thank God she was able to answer him, but the panic in her voice did little to relieve him. She sounded really scared. She was small, but dead weight as he pulled her up, and all he could do was fall onto his back, exhausted and grateful that she was whole and in his arms.

Her face was dirty, but so was his, and as he reached up to brush her hair away from her face, he only managed to smear more mud across her cheeks. She was okay, and so close, and he was tired of waiting, and he wasn't so scared of the consequences right now. He lifted his head from the ground to capture her lips, and she felt like perfection. She gave back as good as she got. They were definitely still in the game, weren't they, because this felt uninhibited, wild, a little desperate. Her lips were soft, but demanding, her tongue, warm and sweet. Her fingers wrapped in his hair and tugged at it in effort to keep him close, to keep him kissing her, like he would want to stop. He was so happy, he started smiling through the kisses like a maniac. She laughed at him, giving him a few more pecks on the lips before rolling off of him so he could get up.

"Come on. Let's get home," he said, standing up, pulling her up, catching her when she tried to use her hurt ankle. "You said you weren't hurt," he accused, scooping her up to carry her like a baby. "Good thing you're so small, huh?"

"I might like to be carried around from now on," she murmured into his neck. "It's pretty nice, actually." It was harder getting up the hill to the house, but Klaus did it without complaint, finally setting her on the front step of their house. He wondered what time it was? Had it been thirty minutes or several hours since they had started the game? It felt like an eternity had passed. Much had changed, but they had nothing but time here on this island, time to talk things through and figure things out.

"I guess nobody wins the game this time," Klaus said, not letting go of Violet's hand. "The flag is probably long gone."

Violet reached into her pant's pocket and pulled out the flag. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I win, fair and square."

Klaus's mouth dropped open, then shut, then dropped open again. "I'm not exactly sure I would call any of that fair. You tricked me, set traps for me," he held up a finger for every wrong she had done him. "You seduced me, then I had to save your ass, and then you tricked me again into carrying you all the way to the finish line."

"All is fair in love and war, Klaus. You know there are no rules to the game, and no hard feelings afterwards. I, for one, am sure going to enjoy a break from those stinky diapers." Violet reached up to kiss his cheek sweetly. "Just think of all that extra time I'll have to devote to more," and she waggled her eyebrows at him, "pleasurable activities."

"Well," he said, pulling her close once more, "that sounds like a promise." He kissed her softly. "Let's get you off that foot, now. It needs to heal up quickly. I hate for you to be at such a disadvantage for our next game, because there is no way I am changing diapers for more than two weeks."

"We'll see about that," she answered lightly, still flirty. "I seemed to have found your weakness, Klaus Baudelaire, and don't think I won't use it against you. I may be looking forward to it, even."

Nothing could've wiped the smile off of Klaus's face. "Me, too," he answered. "Always."


End file.
